A New Standard of Care: How a Rural Health Center Achieved National Quality Recognition Through Value-Based Care

Community health centers (CHCs) are the backbone of rural communities. Their success is what drives healthier populations and better outcomes for communities overall. But how is that success accomplished? For Kristie Lenze, RN, CEO and CFO of Keystone Rural Health Consortia, located in rural Emporium, Pennsylvania, the answer is simple: increase the quality of health care in their surrounding communities.

A nurse by trade, Lenze started her career at Keystone as the quality coordinator where she found a passion for making patients the center of their mission. Soon, she became the Chief Executive Officer, and has done all she can to achieve Keystone's mission of providing quality, cost-effective adult and pediatric primary care, dental diagnostic services and preventive care services to underserved populations throughout the state.

"I've been with Keystone for 12 years, and working here has been, by far, my favorite part of working in healthcare. I've been a nurse in all different arenas in healthcare, but I've never had the opportunity to work at an organization like Keystone," she said. "I love everything about what our mission is, what we are entrusted to accomplish, and I would not want to work anywhere else."

When she started, Keystone was much smaller, and served mostly just rural patients. Now, they have five sites, span three counties and provide comprehensive primary care to more than 10,000 patients a year. Their patient population is made up of a wide variety of individuals from underserved communities, including minorities, seniors and those who otherwise do not have access to affordable, quality care.

"Our team is committed to providing a range of high-quality services, and we treat all of our patients like the unique individuals they are."

With the passion to give their patients the best care available, Lenze quickly realized that she needed help revamping the organization. She wanted to make a change, so she made the decision to join Aledade.

"We've been with Aledade since 2017," she said. "I wanted to make us a more quality-based health center rather than a revenue-based one. I wanted to stay true to the community health center mission by giving value to the patient visits and really putting the patient in the center of what we do."

To be successful, Lenze knew she needed her whole team on board.

"Early on, we developed our passion for quality, and every member of our staff was a part of that quality committee. We had staff at the front desk, in maintenance, lab, physicians - everybody. We wanted to make sure that everyone understood the reason behind the ask.

"So, rather than just telling the front desk clinician that we need them to document certain information or schedule appointments, we brought everybody together," she said. "That way they understood the quality initiatives, and had a voice in it as well. It was an imperative in making us as successful as we are in that realm."

Even with the challenge of getting her whole team to focus on quality, she said she never hesitated in her decision to join an accountable care organization (ACO).

"It was full on, I'm going to make this work," she said, adding that it was her billing supervisor who really kicked off the value-based care conversation. "We kept hearing the term value-based care, value-based payment models. And we really didn't know what that meant. We knew that quality was the center of it, and it was patient-based, but we really didn't understand it."

Until Aledade.

"From the very beginning, hearing those at Aledade talk, I knew they shared our mission. They wanted to do the same things and accomplish the same goals," she said. "They're all about value-based care and patient success, so that is really what drove me to want to be a part of their ACO."

From the start, Lenze said Aledade gave her team the tools and education needed to take patient care to a higher level.

While Keystone uses almost all of Aledade's products and services, the Aledade App has been a game changer, Lenze said.

"The Aledade App is phenomenal," she said. "It gives us direction. We have three different case managers that are in there daily working that App. It really hones in on those high-risk patients, which are one of our main focuses."

Lenze said the Aledade App and other resources, such as patient communications, have helped them keep their patients out of the hospital, and get a head start on issues that could cause them to be at risk of serious illnesses.

Keystone has become a national quality leader recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), earning badges in "Addressing Social Risk Factors to Health," "Advancing Health Information Technology," "Health Center Quality Leader - Gold" and "National Quality Leader in Heart Health." Only 10% of CHCs were selected to receive the Gold level badge for quality in 2024, and Keystone has earned the prestigious badge for the last four years by curating a staff that makes it their mission to achieve the highest level of patient care possible.

"I want to continue growing our quality base, our value-based care and really work toward helping our patients get more cost savings," she said. "I really look forward to our continued growth and partnership with Aledade."

She also looks forward to the new payer partnerships Aledade offers.

"We are looking into expanding into other insurers, like Medicaid and commercial insurance," she said. "We do participate in a couple of commercial insurances with Aledade, but I think continued growth in that arena is just going to be beneficial for all of us, but most of all our patients."

Because of their success, Lenze said she can't help but tell other CHCs about their journey with Aledade.

"Aledade has helped us overall, not just with our Medicare patients. We see them as a
partner in achieving our goals and achieving a high quality of care for our patients.
That's kind of the relationship we have with Aledade."

Kristie Lenze

Lenze said she understands that the value-based care journey can seem complicated, but with Aledade, it's worth it.

"People fear things that they don't understand, and a lot of people don't understand value-based care," Lenze said. "There are people who are just now diving into it, where we have been doing it for years. So, my advice to others who are still struggling to decide if they want to join an ACO, is to not wait.

"Use partners like Aledade to help you get there. They can only enhance what you're already doing. It's really just a win-win situation."

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